The last of the four Pleasanton Goodguys shows for the 2004 season was held mid-November. After the record-breaking year with Goodguys and Revell/Monogram Model Car series, we were curious about future attendance. Never worry! The model builders stepped up and made this the best Autumn Get-Together in history.

We greatly enjoy seeing a new modeler come forth and compete for the first time. This year, such a modeler showed up and blew everyone away with his fantastic work in 1:64 scale. This guy takes Hot Wheels and modifies them into the most fascinating creations we've ever seen! The small-scale guys are showing up in bigger numbers lately and doing outstanding work. If you've tried to work with the smaller-scale cars and trucks, you'll appreciate the skill and patience required to achieve such quality results. Very accomplished modelers admit the difficulty of modifying even these 1:18-scale die-cast models.

Brian Pruitt arrived Saturday morning to display his exceptional skills. He brought a Bat-truck with trailer and Bat-dragster and informed us he had an entire Bat-cave diorama with other items. Unfortunately he didn't know we had a diorama class. His hot-pink and black tractor/trailer set with vehicles on the trailer are also from Hot Wheels Volkswagen buses. The quality paintwork on these 1:64-scale trucks is more than rare.

My favorite was a Divco milk truck that was modified into a pickup and given an imaginative street rod treatment. The neat stuff kept coming, and we all just stood there with much anticipation. Other builders have traditionally entered small-scale masterpieces. John Boelens, with his 1:43 stuff, is a regular, and Jeff Norine also works in small scales as well. Add newcomer Brian Pruitt to the ranks of those who have made their mark on the hobby's small-scale creations.

In the more traditional 1:25 scale, Terry Freeman returned to the model tables with several very well-done trucks, including a '32 Ford pickup and a beautiful '65 Chevrolet El Camino. Terry has been busy with his 1:1 '32 Ford coupe, but has made time to build more impressive models. A total of 203 entries graced the tables, and all classes were represented. Take a look at these creations-you can't help but marvel at the patience this took.